30 October 2023 , 22:27
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Matthew Perry 's Friends co-stars have united in their grief to pay tribute to the star after his shock death.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the cast said in a joint statement to People Monday.
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.
“In time we will say more, as and when we are able,” they continued. “For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”
The 54-year-old actor found fame alongside his five co-stars turned real-life Friends in the 1990s. And now Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow have joined up to share a tribute following the devastating news of Matthew's death.
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The Friends star was found dead in his hot tub on Oct 28 by emergency responders. Law enforcement says 911 dispatched responders at around 4:00 p.m. PST due to a report of cardiac arrest. When they arrived on the scene, they began water rescue protocol after Matthew had seemingly drowned. At the time, it was reported that there were no illegal drugs on the scene and cops did not suspect any foul play.
Read More: Jennifer Aniston's candid comments about Matthew Perry's struggles before his death
The cast of Friends pictured (clockwise from bottom left) Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green (NBCUniversal via Getty Images)Friends premiered in 1994 and ran for 10 seasons. The final episode aired in 2004 and broke records with more than 50 million viewers. The cast reunited in 2021 and Perry burst into tears as they reminisced about filming the show.
His on-screen wife Cox said: "It was an incredible time. We became best friends." Perry couldn't contain his emotions and admitted: "Yep, I'm going to cry now."
In his memoir, Perry admitted that he struggled to watch the show because it reminded him of the tough times he went through. “I didn’t watch the show, and haven’t watched the show, because I could go, drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,” he later added. “I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t wanna watch it, because that’s what I see.”
As well as being able to work out what drugs he was taking during each season, he also commented on how his appearance on the series makes it hard for him to watch. “I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128 lbs, I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people — and that’s why I can’t watch the show, ‘cause I was brutally thin',” he said. “I had a rule that I would never drink or do drugs while working."
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In the years prior to his death, Matthew was vocal about his struggles with addiction. According to him, there were portions of his time filming Friends that he simply could not remember as a result. Ultimately, he suffered from an opioid overdose a few years ago that landed him in the hospital. After his colon burst, his loved ones were told he would only have a 2% chance of survival. After pulling through, he went through an extensive recovery process that included surgeries and rehabilitation center visits.
A friend who went through the rehab with Matthew told the DailyMail : "It’s such tragic news. Everyone is praying he didn’t relapse. Matt was a genuinely lovely guy. He was always the first to welcome newcomers to the group and would always volunteer to help and be of service."
According to the friend, Matthew's death is being met with teary-eyed reactions throughout his social circle. In recent years, Matthew was believed to be sober which his friend confirmed. The star explained his journey in his memoir and while promoting the book, he told Whoopi Goldberg on The View that he was doing well. His friend said: "It’s no secret that he struggled with drugs and alcohol for years but the last time I spoke to him, which was within the last few weeks, he seemed to be in a good place."
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The Friends crew also paid tribute to their star. The official Twitter account wrote : "We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans."